The big and bold social media issues raised by Noah Kravitz vs Phonedog.com
By Alexandra Reid
As a technology journalist and editor, Noah Kravitz is used to being on the perceiving side of the media lens. But for the last week, he has become the media’s focus as a dispute lasting more than a year with his former employer Phonedog.com escalated into a court case The New York Times says “will establish precedent in the online world, as it relates to ownership of social media accounts.”
The dispute began in October 2010 when Kravitz, a writer living in Oakland, Calif., quit his job at mobile phone site Phonedog.com. While at the company, Kravitz began engaging a following on Twitter under the name Phonedog_Noah. After almost four years, he had built a community of 17,000 followers. When he left, Kravitz said Phonedog told him he could keep his Twitter account in exchange for posting on the account occasionally for the company, reports The New York Times. As they were parting on amicable terms, Kravitz agreed. He began writing as NoahKravitz and developed his community for eight months after leaving the company. It was at this time that Phonedog sued Kravitz, saying the Twitter list was a customer list. It sought damages of $2.50 per month per follower for eight months, totaling $340,000.
